in sickness and in health
by Endles
Summary: A conversation in the very beginning of Chi-Chi's and Goku's relationship.


**A/N:** I was re-reading dragon ball the other day and I realized that I have always liked Goku's and Chi-Chi's relationship because they both are so level-headed about it. Without doubt there is love between them, but that isn't the only reason they end up getting married and having children. At least, that's what I think...

...and because someone was already wondering, Chi-Chi is described as having a "hick-accent" in volume 15 of dragon ball.

So, with that in mind, I wrote this fic where they talk about life before deciding to really get together. Hope you like it.**  
**

-x-

**in Sickness and in Health**

-x-**  
**

The girl sits in front of him and slurps her milkshake through a bright yellow straw and for all that he's the world's (second) strongest man he doesn't know what to say. He squirms in his seat in shifts his legs nervously until she kicks him under the table swiftly putting an end to the restless movement.

"Sorry," he mutters, because he's not stupid, not really, not when it comes to people, and his grandpa always taught him to be nice to girls. And it is one pretty girl, this one—all smooth black hair and soft curves and a perfect round face with perfect round eyes so sharp that she could draw blood with her gaze if she wanted to.

She doesn't say anything, doesn't even _look_ at him, just finishes her drink and carefully sets the empty glass on the table. Her attention is still on the moving picture of city life bustling right outside the diner's window, has been for as long as they've been there and they've been there for a _long_ time, courtesy of his nearly insatiable appetite.

"Petty 'lil people," she mumbles more to herself than anyone and sighs, lids falling heavily to cover her insanely pretty brown orbs. He kinda misses them already when she opens her eyes again. "Goin' on with their petty 'lil tasks, livin' 'n' dyin', never really stoppin' fo' even a second."

Her drawl is thick, and hard to cut through, but that's a no-no, not something he should ever mention to a lady. Besides it isn't like his own speech is the prime example of prim and proper.

"Doncha agree?"

He has to shake himself from his thoughts to realize she's finally talking to him and it's still a shock because he isn't the kind of guy to deserve the attention of the likes of her. She's obviously too smart for him, for starters, and far too successful, rich, privileged. He's just a boy from the woods with no family and no background and no nothing she could ever want.

"Huh," he says dumbly, "I guess so."

She smiles and it brightens the room like the moon, even though there is no moon no more and it makes him sad, sort of, because that means no moonlit walks by the river even though he's not sure she ever would've agreed to such useless endeavors. She seems like the no-nonsense type of gal and he can respect that, really, because he's the nothing-but-nonsense type of bloke and (maybe) he needs someone there to tell him what's good and what's not.

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" The words tumble out before he can stop them, can stop himself and really, his filter is always this bad. "I mean, it isn't like I expect you to, if you don't wanna… I mean, it's nice, but I just wanna be sure you're not… Are you?"

She has that look on her face that says _"just stop talking"_ and so he does, because it's been long and they've only reconciled for a short while but she still knows how to pull his strings and he still knows she's gotta be the best girl there ever was—even better than the smart one or the tough one or the kind one, because she's all those combined.

"No," she answers, plain and simple even though the problem is nothing but. Then something in her expression mellows and she looks up curiously, regarding him from under her long, black, _gorgeous_ lashes. "What d'ya want from life?"

The question takes him by surprise and he's left there blinking. She snorts.

"Just answer tha question."

"Well," he starts unsure of what she's trying to accomplish with all of this. "I guess if I had to say… I'd say I want peace."

She nods approving and he finds in her expression the courage to go on.

"I wanna live somewhere quiet, somewhere untouched. I wanna wake up and fall down with the sun, because that's what the sun's for, ain't it? I wanna… I wanna become stronger just for the cause of getting stronger, so I can feel like I can protect those around me. I don't want life to be too hard, when it can be simple."

He sets his jaw resolutely when he finishes and she offers him a bright, _bright_, brighter than her _eyes_, grin.

"_See?_ We're not so different," she beams. "Ah wanna have those there things too. Ah wanna live 'n' let live. Ah wanna take care of my home, take care of my family. Ah wanna have a family 'n' ah wanna have that family with you. Not because ah feel obliged ta, but because ah feel like you're tha one."

He stays quiet for a long time after that, simply stares at her when she picks up the empty glass and begins to suck on the straw for the last drops of the sugary beverage. He figures that it's about it, right then and there and the thought makes him smile lopsidedly, because he never would've thought it would all turn out this easily and all around perfectly.

"Yeah," he murmurs after what must be like an eternity and she glances up, holds his gaze that's warm enough to melt her ice. "Yeah, I know how you feel. I feel it too."

She looks completely dumbfounded, astonished, speechless, taken aback, _thunderstruck_ for a moment and then her face breaks in half and she laughs and her laughter is like the ocean, deep and foamy and he joins in with his own low rumble that might be like the mountains, sturdy and majestic. The waitress in her short skirt throws them a dirty look, but neither cares.

She taps his foot under the table, still grinning like she got the cream even if it has to be _him_ who got it, not her. He draws his leg back and rises from the bench, hurrying to offer her an arm because he's a real gent, after all, isn't he, and it's always worth the trouble when her eyes twinkle and her ears flush with delight in a way that's so typical of_ her_ and her _only_.

"It's settled then," she states, doesn't ask when it's already obvious.

"It's settled," he repeats.

So, in the end there are no official papers or bands or vows to be vowed, just a boy and a girl promising that they'll try this being together thing, this being a family thing, _together_. And honestly, though he doubted her and she doubted him, both for their own reasons, neither would have it any other way.

-x-

**end**


End file.
